News Releases

Escondido City Manager Clay Phillips announced today that Ms. Diane Halverson has been selected as City Clerk of Escondido, replacing Marsha Whalen who retired on October 14, 2011. She will begin her duties in January 2012 with a salary of $112,000.

Ms. Halverson has been employed by the City of Escondido since June 2006 and currently serves as Executive Office Coordinator in the City Clerk’s Office. Ms. Halverson holds a Master of Arts Degree from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Pacific Union College. She is a member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks as well as the City Clerk’s Association of California and recently received her Certified Municipal Clerk designation.

In making the announcement today, City Manager Clay Phillips noted, “Our retired City Clerk Marsha Whalen has been one of the best City Clerk’s Escondido has ever had and she will be greatly missed.” Mr. Phillips further noted, “However, the City is fortunate to have the in-house talent that allows us to promote from within. Diane has outstanding interpersonal skills and I know she will do an excellent job in effectively managing our City Clerk’s Office and ensuring the highest levels of records management and customer service for our community.”

The Escondido Fire Department will conduct live fire training in vacant single family houses located on the corner of El Norte Parkway and Broadway on December 3 and 4 between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Live fire training exercises are an invaluable tool for firefighters to practice skills and techniques in controlled fire conditions. Smoke is a by-product of this training and will be present during the drill sessions in the area of the training.

Community Housing Works has made the vacant buildings available to the Fire Department for live fire training prior to being demolished.

Escondido’s newest public art project, “New Leaf” by artist Dan Dykes, will be installed in the median of Centre City Parkway near Felicita Avenue on December 1, 2011 between 4:30-9:00 a.m. A formal dedication of New Leaf will take place in the early winter after the landscaping and lighting is finished, and the permanent guard rail is installed.

Mayor Sam Abed expressed enthusiasm for the art piece noting, “This sculpture will be a striking addition to our public art program and will serve as a welcoming icon for residents and visitors to Escondido.”

The sculpture is an elegant fusion of material and form that represents a growing evolving community. With roots in the past, forged by the present, and reaching towards the future, New Leaf points to a vibrant growing city. It creates a feeling of movement and transition that sweeps along with the viewer as they enter or leave the city. Like a plant reaching for the light, New Leaf reaches towards and points to the City of Escondido.

New Leaf is seventeen feet high, three tons of bronze and stainless, and thirteen feet long. The leaf-like forms emerging from the base are bronze; the large curving obelisk is etched stainless steel. The forms dramatically merge together and sweep up into an arching wave. The wave connects with a curved stainless steel mesh form that emerges from the top of the sculpture. Light passes through the mesh, illuminating the vein of a leaf captured inside the mesh. The sculpture rest on a stainless steel base with the name of the artist, and the fabricators laser cut into the base.

Dan Dykes, a San Diego artist, is internationally recognized for his expertise in metal sculpting. An artist for over twenty years, he travels extensively, teaching professional level skills, lecturing and giving university and college seminars. His work is in many private and public collections.

New Leaf was sponsored through the City of Escondido’s Public Art Program which is funded through a developer fee that can only be used for public art. For further information, please contact Susan Pollack, Public Art Consultant, Community Services Department, City of Escondido at (760) 839-4331.

San Diego Gas and Electric will hold a LED holiday light exchange program from 1 to 5 p.m. on December 4 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Customers can exchange up to three strands of incandescent holiday lights for an equivalent number of energy-efficient, multicolored LED holiday lights. To participate, bring your old lights and a copy of your current SDG&E bill or California ID. To date, SDG&E has exchanged 40,885 LED holiday light strands to more than 14,000 customers. Visit sdge.com or call 800-411-7343.

The Daley Ranch Volunteer Association is now accepting applications for coveted positions as Volunteer Naturalists. Training classes for Naturalists will begin on Saturday, January 7 and continue through February 25, 2012. Trainees will learn about the cultural and natural history of this area in these Saturday morning classes. Courses include botany, reptiles, birds, mammals, Native American studies, and geology as well as training in Basic First Aid and CPR. Upon completion, volunteers will lead visitors on tours of the Daley Ranch trails and talk about what can be seen from the peaks, valleys, and scenic overlooks. No prior training or experience is required.

To join this team of well-trained Naturalists, pick up an application at the Dixon Lake Ranger Station, download one from the Escondido website (www.escondido.org), or call the Volunteer Office at 760-839-4241 and leave your name and address to have an application mailed.

The Daley Ranch has over 22 miles of hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails and is open daily from dawn to dusk. The hills and valleys of the area were once frequented by the Luiseño, Kumeyaay, and other local bands of Native Americans. Their presence may be found in many areas of the Ranch. A beautiful redwood house, built in 1925 and located in the middle of the meadow, is being renovated and will be open to the public in the near future. In 1869, Robert Daley first settled in the area, building a log cabin and eventually laying claim to over 1600 acres. Further acquisitions gave the Ranch the 3,058 acres enjoyed today as a mitigation bank preserve, operated by the City of Escondido.

Visit the Daley Ranch website at www.escondido.org and click on Daley Ranch to learn more about this unique, historic area located in the north eastern section of the City of Escondido.

Beginning on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:00 a.m., the Iron Bark Eucalyptus treesin the medians along Grand Avenue will be pruned by a contractor, West Coast Arborist. The work is expected to be completed by November 18. Motorists are advised that the number one lane in both directions of Grand Avenue between Valley Boulevard and Orange Street will be closed during that time.

Each year at the State of the City meeting, the Escondido City Council recognizes individuals who have improved the quality of life in the community through volunteer service. Nominations now are being solicited for these awards. If you know of an Escondido resident who has made a significant impact to the community, please obtain a City Council Awards nomination form by calling the City Manager’s Office (760-839-4631) or you may download a copy from the City’s web site:

Categories include, but are not limited to: Arts, Business, Charity, Community Beautification, Diversity, Education, Environment, Heroism, Historic Preservation, and Youth. The deadline for nomination is 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2012. A sub-committee of the City Council will review all nominations and make its final selection in January. The awards will be presented at the Annual State of the City presentation on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.

FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will conduct the first nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test on November 9, at 11: 00 a.m. Pacific time (2:00 p.m. Eastern). The test will last for approximately three minutes. More information about the test, is available at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

Escondido officials ask the public to make sure their friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors are aware of the upcoming test on November 9 to prevent any public confusion and to avoid flooding the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center with calls.

Similar to local EAS tests that are conducted frequently, the Nationwide EAS Test will involve broadcast radio and television stations, cable television, satellite radio and television services and wire line providers across all states and territories. However, in a departure from local tests, the alert will be broadcast on all TV channels and radio stations throughout the nation simultaneously.

During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that “This is a test.” Although the EAS Test may resemble the local EAS tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some differences in what viewers will see and hear. The audio message will be the same for all broadcasters; however, due to limitations in the EAS, the video test message scroll may not be the same or indicate that “This is a test.”

Escondido Mayor Sam Abed will hold a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 201 N. Broadway. The purpose of the meeting is to address any questions or concerns citizens may have on any topic relating to local government. The event is free and no reservations are required.

The meeting will begin with a brief overview of city services by Departments Heads, followed by an open question and answer period.

Over the next five weeks, the Iron Bark Eucalyptus trees in the pop outs along Grand Avenue will be removed by city crews to address safety concerns about falling branches. They will be replaced with “Purple Robe” Robina trees. The first trees will be removed on Sunday, October 30 and are located at 114, 115, 135, 150 West Grand Avenue.

The Robina, a fast growing deciduous tree, was selected because it is low maintenance and drought tolerant, making it an excellent street tree. It produces fragrant pink to purple flower in spring and summer.